Variable chain lock.



H. I'. RICHTER.

VARIABLE CHAIN LOCK. APPLwATIoN FILED s221225, 19121 1,96%646. Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

zwfnee, Z293' y: 9%

Y. .diff

g, @l )dans ,ppeatlon filed eepteinher'fa, 91:13.

saeeieeattea er ma To all zij/"wm may concern:

Be 1t known that l, HERMAN ll". Rroriaen, a citizen of the United -States, and resident ot Pasadena,- in the county of Los Angeles and'- State orp California, have invented certain *i8, naar its-angled end, and a spiral spring, t9', is mounted within the shell be- 4 tween new and useful lmprovelnents in Variable Chain Locks, of which the following is` a specification.

My invention pertains to locks, and it has special reference to a loch tor bicycles, or other uses, wherein being rigid, is in the forni of a chain, where'- loy the chain may be wrapped around the ol ject or objects to beheld together and locked4A 1n position,'all or" which will now be set forth in detail.

ln the accompanying drawing, lligure 'l is a central, vertical section of my improved -type of chain lock. Fig. 2 is a vertical crossI section of the lock. Fig. 3 is a central, vertical section of a modihedtype of the lock, and -Fig. e is a vertical cross section oit the modied structure.

ln carrying out my invention, l prepare a case or shell, 5, of any desired size or shape, within which is mounted a drum, 6, on a shaft, 7, which is fixed to the side walls, 8, 9, of the case. The preferred form shown in Fig. 1, which has two tree ends, provides a means whereby no portion of the chain is exposed, except that part which surrounds the article clasped, since both ends are within the casing. As the chain is of the type which has openings between the link bars, the ends of the bolts may freely enter the spaces between the bars, and thus serve the purpose of locking the chain at any point. lNithin this drum is a coiled spring, l0, one end of which is secured to the shaft, 7, and the other end to the drum. rlhe exterior of the drum has attached thereto the end oi' a sprocket chain, 11, as at 12, and the object of the spring, 10, is to normally wind up the sprocket chain on the drum.. @ne end of the chain, 11, passes through an openino", 13, formed in the upper end of the case, 5, and the other side or edge of the case has a similar opening, 14, which is also designed to receive the other end of chain, 11. l/Vithin the case, and intermediate these two openings, 13, 14, l mount the locking inechanisni, which in this instance comprises two bolts, 15, 416, the bolt, 15, of which has a beveled end 15, and is adapted to engage with the links or the sprocket chain, 11, where it passes out of the opening, 13, and the beveled end ot the shackle, instead of' the other l olt, 16, has its end adapted to engage the linlzs of the chain at the other side o?? the ease where it enters the opening, il., The bolt, l5, has head, 17, at its inner end, and' the bolt, 16, has a right angled linger,

the head, l?, and ringer, i8, so as to norte 'move 'the bolts outwardly to engage-with the linlrs of the chain., An operating piece, 20, with its ends in engagement withA the two bolts, and designed to be turned by a key, serves as a means for moving the two bolts inwardly against the out wardly acting motion of the spring, thereby unlocking -the chain.

lt will be seen that the bevels of the bolt ends are such that tie chain may be moved inwardly without use ol the lrey, but it is necessary `to use the hey -to draw out the chain.`

ln Figs; 3 and' l l show a inodiiied forni of constructing 'the loclr, so as to utilize a chain as a shackle. ln this case the contain* ing shell, 2l, has one end 'of a sprocket chain, 22, attached thereto at the apex of the shell, as shown at 23. The upper end of the case has an aperture, 24, or such size that the chain will readily pass through, and within the lower part fot the shell is the locking mechanism. rlhis comprises a vertically inovable bolt, 25, the-upper end oit which passes through an opening in the upper wall, 26, or' the shell, and its lower end slides in suitable guides, 27, attached to the shell. l spiral spring, 28, mounted between the end of this bolt and the wall of the shell serves to normally lreep the bolt to its highest limit and in engagement with the chain, 22, which passes through the opening, 2st. lt one side or the bolt is a recess to receive therein a block, 29, this block being secured to the lower end or' a dat spring, 30. rlhis block is in such a position that when it is normally held within the recess ot the bolt, the latter is prevented from moving downwardly, but when a lrey, 3l, is applied and turned so that the block is forced outwardly and thus disengaged from the recess of the bolt, the bolt can be moved downwardly by the key; and when the key is withdrawn from the shell, the spring, 28, will at once cause the bolt to move upwardly and thus loclr the chain. v

lt will thus be seen that in both structures the chain becomes the shackle, with the advantage that it may be adjusted as to length, and it is also susceptible of being applied to different shaped objects or articles, irrespective of size.

l do not desire to claim the locking portion of the device, except in so far as the look is applicable to a chain shackle, and its adaptability to be connected. up and used with u case or shell containing locking mechanism.

What lt claim as new, is:

l, ln e lock7 a case, locking mechanism therein, s chain shackle7 one end of Which is secured Within the case in such a manner that the body of the'chain may be drawn outwardly, the body of the case having an openinsM to receive the projecting end of the chain, ano means for lookin and unlocking the chain at two points Wit in the case.

of the chain, and means Within the case for simultaneously locking the chain at the points Where the chain emerges from -and enters the case.

Signed at the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, this 20th day of September, 1912, in the presence of Witnesses.

HERMAN F. RICHTER. Witnesses J. S. ZERBE, M. RUDHOLM. 

